CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Union University baseball played three solid baseball games over the weekend at No. 37 Lee University, with all coming out to be narrow losses. Lee on 2-0 in the series opener Friday, then swept Saturday's double-header 3-2 and 3-1. Union dropped to 0-8 on the season and 0-3 in the Gulf South Conference. Lee improved to 9-0 on the season and 3-0 in league play.
 
Game 1
With the series being moved up a day due to weather concerns, the Bulldogs fell behind Lee in the third inning when the Flames were able to plate two runs off of an RBI double from Luke Toms scoring Andres Nelo. Toms scored later in the inning off of a wild pitch.
 
The Bulldogs held Lee to those two runs but could not score any runs of their own losing by the final score of 2-0. Union had three hits on the afternoon with singles from Caleb Warnimont, Jim Martin and Chaz Wilson.
 
Marty Coursey (0-2) started the game for Union going 7.2 innings giving up two earned runs on seven hits while striking out four and earn the loss. Andrew Wilson recorded the last out of the game for Union with a strikeout after coming in in relief.
 
Trenton Hill (3-0) started on the mound for Lee going eight innings allowing three hits and striking out seven to record the win. Kyle Briner earned the save tossing to final inning striking out two. Hill and Toms led the Flames at the plate both going 2-for-4.
 
Game 2
The first game of Saturday's double header featured the Bulldogs striking first in the top of the third inning when Austin Orr ripped a double down the left field line scoring Shane Wilder and Brady Cook to give Union the 2-0 lead.
 
Lee cut the Union lead to one in the bottom of the sixth inning when Toms recorded his second RBI of the series scoring Nelo on a single to the left side. Then, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Lee tied the game off of an RBI single from MJ Brown that scored Nathan Wierzgac. The next hitter, Josh Tate, then laid down a squeeze bunt the scored Cameron Scott and gave Lee the second game of the series, 3-2.
 
Skyler Harrison started on the mound for Union going 5.1 innings giving up one earned run on five hits. Preston Thompson (0-3) came in for the Bulldogs in the 6^th inning. He went 2.2 innings giving up two earned runs to earn his third loss of the season.
 
At the plate, Union was led by freshman Brady Cook who went 2-for-4 with a run scored while Orr went 1-for-4 with two RBI's on the double in the third inning.
 
Dustin Lawson started the game for Lee tossing six innings giving up two earned runs and recording eight strikeouts. Ridge Ackerman (2-0) threw the final three innings to record the win.
 
Game 3
In the final game of the series, Lee took the lead in the first inning when Siosi Poti came home on a wild pitch from Teddy Christie (0-1).
 
Union was able to load the bases in the top of the third inning on two walks and a hit batsman that brought Trae Bain to the Plate. Bain drew a walk on five pitches that pushed Orr home from third and tie the game.
 
Lee took back the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI double from Brown that scored Scott from first base and put the score at 2-1 in favor of the Flames. Lee added another run in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Wierzgac that scored Hill to set the final at 3-1.
 
Teddy Christie pitched the whole game for Union going six innings giving up three runs, two earned, striking out four and walking two. The Bulldogs only recorded three hits in the ballgame including a double from Jim Martin in the second inning.
 
Chevis Hoover (2-0) earned his second win of the year for the Flames throwing five innings giving up one run on one hit while striking out 11. Ryan Zimmer earned the save throwing two scoreless innings recording three strikeouts.
 
Union returns home for a conference series against Mississippi College on Saturday, February 21^st, for a double header starting at 1:00 p.m. and a single game on Sunday, February 22^nd, at 1:00 p.m.
 
#UNION#